


Rules Are Good

by randomling



Category: Popslash
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-26
Updated: 2007-12-26
Packaged: 2017-10-11 05:07:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/108744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomling/pseuds/randomling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance needs rules; Chris and Joey definitely need regulating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rules Are Good

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ephemera](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ephemera).



Rules are good.

Lance knows this, just like he knows that explosions are cool, space is awesome and God exists. Rules make the world go around. It's a shame he's really the only member of N'Sync to fully appreciate this. Chris sort of objects to rules on principle, Joey bends them or ignores them when he feels like it, and JC manages to break them just by existing. Only Justin agrees with Lance wholeheartedly that rules are important, but then Justin thinks all rules were created to make Justin Timberlake's life easier, which can be kind of annoying.

This is why, anticipating an evening stuck on the bus with Chris and Joey, Lance takes it upon himself to write some rules.

After The Dressing-Room Incident, Chris has trapped Justin and JC on the two-man bus to talk things out. Lance is pretty sure that either sex or violence will ensue, but as long as it stops Justin and JC avoiding each other, he really doesn't care. Either way, this means that he and Joey are with Chris on the three-man for the evening, hoping that their two front-men don't kill each other. While Joey is cooking miles of spaghetti and Chris is talking to one of his sisters on the phone, Lance digs for notebook and pen and makes some rules. These, he tells himself, are to make this evening run as smoothly as possible.

There's a little voice in his head that says that, in that case, Rule #20 is not the greatest idea. Lance ignores it.

Over dinner, he presents the rules to the others.

"What?!" Chris barks, grabbing the rules out of Lance's hand.

"Can't we just use our rules?" Joey asks. Joey, it should be pointed out, doesn't remember what the rules are until he's broken one of them.

"Those rules are designed for two people," Lance says haughtily. "These rules are for three. Anyway, it's only for one night."

Chris flicks to page two and back again really quickly, then sighs. "Fine," he says. Lance gives him a pen, and he signs.

Joey doesn't even read the rules, just looks briefly at the first page and then snatches the pen from Chris. Lance signs right after him, smiling.

***

Lance doesn't think that Rule #20 will get used, after all. They play cards, and then get through about two thirds of a movie before Chris gets bored and starts bounding around the bus, first doing silly voices and then bellowing and pounding his chest, possibly in imitation of King Kong. Joey joins in with the King Kong, and Lance laughs as they jump all over the couch. He laughs so much he forgets that one of the rules says _No sugar for Chris after midnight_ \- Chris is so manic it reminds Lance of Europe, mainlining pixie sticks and keeping their spirits up when they seemed to spend all their time stuck in airports at four in the morning.

Eventually, though, Chris just flops down on the couch between Joey and Lance to watch the end of the movie. It's some action flick - Lance hasn't been paying enough attention to know what - and there are explosions and witty one-liners and then credits. "What now?" Chris says, but no one says anything, or moves, or even changes the channel.

"I don't know, man," says Joey. "Whatever."

"Yeah," says Lance.

They watch the start of the next movie. It's boring; all Lance knows about it after five minutes is that it stars Sandra Bullock, because he's been busy thinking about other stuff. Chris's head is now resting on Joey's thigh, and one of his feet is in Lance's lap. This is a lot more intimate than they usually get over on the two-man bus, but Joey doesn't seem to mind. In fact, his hand is resting on Chris's head, occasionally giving it a little stroke. It's sort of cute. Lance smiles.

"This movie sucks," says Joey after twenty minutes. Chris and Lance both make noises of agreement, but no one does anything about it.

After another twenty minutes, Lance is starting to feel that maybe he'll get to use his rule. Chris is still stretched out between Joey and Lance, making occasional witty comments on the poor quality of the movie. Sometimes they're even funny. Lance has one of his hands wrapped around Chris's foot: it has a tendency to wriggle around, so Lance is holding it in place against his upper thigh, keeping it from straying anywhere else. Now he thinks of it, there should have been a rule about Chris not turning Lance on with his feet.

There should maybe be a corresponding rule about Lance not stroking the underside of Chris's foot with his thumb, too. Chris makes a little noise - Lance isn't sure if it's protest or approval - and wiggles his foot. Lance looks over at Joey, and Joey has one of his big hands on Chris's throat, looking like he's partly holding him down, partly stroking the skin there. Lance chuckles a little at the idea of himself and Joey both holding Chris down - probably the only way to keep him still for more than a few minutes - and then his eyes meet Joey's, and Joey smiles wickedly.

Joey switches hands, so he can keep holding Chris down with one hand and slide the other down Chris's chest. Chris looks up at Joey, eyebrows raised, and makes a noise that definitely isn't protest when Joey's hand goes under his shirt. Lance watches for a moment, then switches hands himself and, still holding Chris's foot in place, moves his hand up Chris's leg.

"Fuckers," Chris says suddenly, and sits up. He's a lot stronger than he looks, and Lance draws his hands back. "Did J tell you to... I can live one damn night without sex, thanks."

"J didn't tell us to do anything, man," said Joey in a calming voice.

Chris sighs. "Lance, all those rules and there isn't one that says no sex on the bus?"

"No," says Lance. Quite the opposite, in fact. He blushes; he can't help it.

Chris is already going for the rulebook, which is on the table. Lance doesn't look at what he's doing, but after a moment, he hears a surprised, "Oh." There's a long pause; Lance hears Chris put the notebook down. "Experimentation?"

***

"Well," says Chris theatrically ten minutes later, "I sure can't think of anything to do."

"Me either," says Joey loudly. "And I have this rule book here, which says..."

The three of them grin at each other.

"So," says Lance, feeling just a bit nervous. "What shall we, uh... Have you guys ever had a threesome?" He hasn't. He can't think of two better people to try it with.

"Not with two guys," Joey says, smiling.

"Um, not with you guys," Chris says, and that doesn't surprise Lance. He knows how _he_ would spend the time on a bus with JC and Justin.

"That counts," says Lance, and slides himself closer to Chris.

At Chris's suggestion, they start with making out. Lance gets to kiss Chris first, then watch Chris and Joey, and finally to kiss Joey, sliding his arms around Joey's solid waist as Chris slides up behind Lance and places feather-light kisses on the back of his neck. "I like your rule," Chris murmurs between kisses, and Joey hums his agreement into Lance's mouth.

Later, he's shirtless, lying on his front on top of Chris, kissing his way down Chris's chest as Joey licks up and down his back. Chris's hands are already tangling in Lance's hair, and it hurts a little when Chris tugs, but Lance doesn't mind. He kisses down Chris's stomach, reaches the waistband of Chris's pants, and then makes Chris wait because Joey's hands are sliding down over his own crotch, and he has to pause to get his breath.

It all happens with a surprising amount of co-ordination. Joey unbuttons Lance's pants as Lance unbuttons Chris's, and the moment that Lance swallows Chris down is just seconds before Joey puts his hands on Lance's hips and licks his cock.

God definitely exists, Lance thinks, shortly before sliding briefly off Chris to shout His name.

Also, space is awesome, explosions are cool, and rules are - _yes_ \- good.


End file.
